Legal professionals ’sitting on the fence’ in terms of embracing new technologies

A lack of understanding by, and encouragement from, management is proving a barrier to the uptake of technologies like artificial intelligence in the legal services sector, according to a new report by UCL, the University of Manchester, and the Law Society. A survey of more than 650 solicitors found that less than a third (32%) use 'lawtech'* daily. Lawtech encompasses a range of technologies that aim to support, supplement or replace traditional methods for legal services. These technologies range from lower-level ones with the potential to improve the efficiency of service delivery, such as the use of legal databases and automation of document assembly/discovery, online portals, virtual assistants, and contract review software, to advanced chatbots and the latest advances in predictive artificial intelligence, which have the potential to displace human judgment and decision making. More than one-third of the sample (35%) said they did not use lawtech at all, or did so highly infrequently**. Those that were using the new technologies were doing so primarily in routine administrative tasks, such as managing legal databases, rather than utilising the more cutting-edge developments to supplant their expert judgment in respect of complex issues. While respondents acknowledged the benefits lawtech could bring in terms of improving service quality and workflow efficiency, the report found a significant lack of confidence in using it effectively at an individual level.